Liquid applicator brush



1949 w. G. HOKETT LIQUID APPLICATOR BRUSH Filed Dec. 18, 1948 FIG. 1

I INVENTOR.

4 TTORNE).

Patented Nov. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID APPLICATOR BRUSH William G. Hokett; Phoenix, Ariz.

Application December 18, 1948, Serial No. 66,034

Claims. 1

This invention pertains. to liquid. applicator brushes.

One of the objects is to provide a brush which will retain a quantity of fluid in the handle and will release this fluid through the bristles when pressed upon a surface to be. brushed;

Another object is to provide a brush having a hollow back or handle adapted to act as a container with a setof fixed bristles on its bottom face, and rows of movable fountain bristles arranged in rows between said fixed bristles, set in: balls strung onspring tensioned wires and extendingoutward through holes in said bottom face so that normally said balls act as valves closing the holes through which said fountain bristles project, but when the brush is pressed on an object being brushed these ball valves will open releasing fiuid from said. container;

Another object is to provide aliquidapplicator brush having a hollow handle for containing liquids and a plurality of fountain bristles having valves formed between a. ball in which they are set and a hole through whichv they extend so that upward pressure on the bristles opens the hole permittin liquid from the hollow in said handle to flow outward around the bristle;

Another object is to provide an eificient and cheap construction for setting and attaching of valved fountain bristles to the bottom face of. a liquid applicator brush.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the particular construction and devices shown in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a hand brush embodyin my improvements;

Figure 2 a side elevational section thereof taken substantially on line 2-2, Figure 1;

Figure 3, is a plan view of the bottom of the brush with portions broken away to show interior construction; and

Figure 4 is a transverse elevational section taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts in the several views.

The handle or back 2 is formed with a cavity in the bottom forming a reservoir 3. Holes 5 and 6 drilled through the top 1 into this reservoir are closed by threaded plugs 8, which may be vented by small holes 9.

The bottom of the reservoir is closed by longitudinally extending plates l0 and I2 through which a longitudinal row of valve holes M are drilled. The top edges of these holes are chamfered to act as valve seats. Fountain bristles, or

the handle 2.

bristle tufts, It are set in balls l8 made of soft metal or plastic composition. These balls are drilled diametrically, transverse to the axis of the bristle sheaf secured therein, and are then strung on spring wires 2c. These wires are coiled to form helical springs 22 at each end to give them longitudinal elasticity. Hooks are then formed at the outer ends of each spring and these are embedded in the material of the back at the ends of the reservoir with the springs under tension so that the middle portions of the wires are maintained taut. Each Wire is positioned directly above the row of holes drilled in each of. the. plates l0 and I2, and horizontally so that the balls I8 thereon are held resiliently down on. the. chamfered top edges. of these holes while the sheaf of bristles It secured in each ball protrudes outward and downward through said hole. The ball then acts as a spring loaded valve plug and the chamfered edge as a valve seat. Upward pressure on the protruding bristle will then push the ball from the seat and open the valve and permit liquid contained in the reservoir to flow down around the bristles.

Tufts of stationary conventional bristles 25 are inserted in the material of the bottom face 26 of These are preferably set in rows paralleling plates l0 and I2 and the rows of valving bristles l 6 extending therethrough.

In use the reservoir 3- is filled through either of the holes Pier 6 with liquid soap, oil, or any other. liquid which is to be applied to the surface to be brushed and the brush manipulated in the usual manner. As pressure is applied downward on handle 2 the fountain bristle tufts Eli are forced upward, as indicated in Figure 4. This opens the ball valves and the liquid flows out and around these tufts. By regulating the downward pressure the flow of liquid can be easily regulated. When the brush is not in use the valves are closed and no leakage occurs.

It is to be noted that the structure of the valves, including the balls l8, the spring wires 20, and the valve seat holes I4. is simple and easy to manufacture and assemble, and is adaptable to a wide variety of applications and uses.

It is to be understood that the tufts of bristles It may be of any suitable or desired material. Aside from the usual conventional hair bristles and bristles made of various types of plastic fibre, I also have found that a rubber finger may be substituted. Certain brushes may be made using these semi-solid flexible fingers and are adapted for use where a large amount of liquid is to be released during the brushing process.

Having now fully described my invention and explained its use, I wish to be limited only by the claims.

I claim:

1. A liquid applicator brush having a back, a cavity formed in the bottom face of said back, plates closing the bottom of said cavity to form a reservoir in said back, longitudinal rows of holes drilled in said plates adapted to receive fountain bristle tufts, valve seats formed on the top edges of said holes; fountain bristle tufts set in balls adapted to seat on said valve seats with said tufts extending outward through said valve seat holes, mounting holes drilled through said balls transversely to the axis of said fountain tufts; supporting wires extending through said mounting holes in said balls, said supporting Wires being resiliently strung within said cavity over and parallel to said valve seating plates; stationary bristle tufts set in the bottom face of said back and arranged in rows parallel to the rows of fountain bristles protruding through said valve seat holes; and reservoir filling holes in the top of said back closed by removable plugs.

2. A liquid applicator brush including a back forming a handle and having a bottom face and a top face; a cavity forming a reservoir formed in said back havin longitudinal openings on the bottom face thereof; plates closing said longitudinal openings; a row of fountain bristle holes drilled along the center of each of said plates with valve seats formed around their top edges; fountain bristles set in valve plugs, which plugs are strung on resiliently stretched wires that are positioned over said rows of fountain bristle holes; said fountain bristles extending outward through said holes in said plates; rows of stationary bristles set in the bottom face of said back and paralleling said fountain bristles; and reservoir filling holes in the top of said back closed by removable plugs.

3. In a liquid applicator brush having a handle with a cavity therein forming a reservoir, means for filling said reservoir, and rows of stationary bristles set in the bottom face thereof, the combination therewith of rows of fountain bristles set in valve plugs resiliently supported on wires within said cavity and paralleling said rows of stationary bristles; plates set into the bottom of said handle closing said reservoir and having rows of holes adapted to admit said fountain bristles said fountain bristles protrudin through iii the holes in said plates, and valve seats formed around the top edges of said holes, cooperative with said valve plugs and formin therewith valves normally resiliently closed and adapted to open by upward pressure applied to said fountain bristles when said brush is pressed against a surface being brushed.

4. In a liquid applicator brush having a back with a reservoir therein and a plate closing the bottom of said reservoir, the combination therewith of a fountain bristle tuft valve means including a hole formed in said plate to admit a bristle tuft, a valve seat formed around the upper edge of said hole, a ball adapted to form a valve plug on said valve seat having a horizontal hole to receive a supporting wire said ball having a depending tuft of bristles set therein, and a wire resiliently supported within said reservoir and extending horizontally over said hole, said wire being inserted through the hole in said ball so that said ball is resiliently held on. the valve seat of said hole and said bristle tuft extends outward therethrough.

5. In a liquid applicator brush having a back with a reservoir formed therein, a plate on the bottom of said back closing said reservoir, fountain bristle holes formed in the plate, resiliently strung supporting wires extending horizontally over said holes in said plate, and fountain bristle tufts set in pellets having spherical lower sur faces, said pellets being strung on said wires so that said bristles protrude through said holes and the spherical lower surfaces of said pellets seat on the upper edges of said holes.

WILLIAM G. HOKETT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Germany May 12, 1906 Denmark Aug. 15, 1919 Number Number 

